Bhagalpur: The agriculture department has initiated steps to assess damage to standing Rabi crops, including those nearing harvest, following heavy unseasonal cyclonic rainfall accompanied by strong winds and thunderstorms that lashed several parts of Bihar over the weekend, including Bhagalpur.According to a preliminary estimate by the district agriculture department, standing crops spread across nearly 22,220 hectares of agricultural land in Bhagalpur district have suffered damage.The worst-affected crops include maize, wheat and other varieties, with damage reported from more than 140 village panchayats across 11 blocks of the district, prompting extensive assessment of losses.District agriculture officer (DAO) Prem Shanker Prasad said agriculture department personnel, along with officials at the circle and block levels, panchayat workers and other stakeholders, have begun block-wise surveys to assess crop damage.“As per estimates till Wednesday, standing crops over 22,171.22 hectares out of a total 1,20,746.20 hectares under cultivation in the district have been affected due to heavy unseasonal rainfall and thunderstorms in the third week of March,” he said.Out of the total affected area, crops over more than 5,395 hectares have suffered severe damage, defined as losses exceeding 33%, the DAO added.Rabi crops are sown during the winter months between Oct and Dec and harvested from March to April. However, before harvesting could begin, large-scale damage occurred due to the recent spell of heavy rain and storms.Rabi crops include cereals such as wheat, barley and oats; pulses like chickpea (gram), peas and lentils; oilseeds such as mustard and linseed; and vegetables including potato, onion, garlic and carrot, added the DAO.
